Molecular diagnostics
Molecular diagnostics aims to diagnose cancer by looking for tell tale molecules in the body's cells and tissues. These molecules can be of any type, including sugars, fats, proteins and DNA. Different techniques are used to detect different molecules.
For example, normal prostate cells secrete a chemical called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) into the bloodstream. Cancerous prostate cells often secrete abnormally large amounts of PSA.
Measuring the PSA level in a man's blood can give clues as to whether he has prostate cancer - a high PSA level often indicates possible prostate cancer. In the case of the PSA test, some men with high PSA levels do not have prostate cancer, and some men with prostate cancer do not have high PSA levels.
This illustrates the main issue with molecular diagnostics: there must be a clear difference between normal and cancerous samples. In reality, things are not that clear cut - molecular diagnostics is usually used in combination with other techniques such as imaging and tissue samples to try to work out if a person has cancer.
Cancer Research UK is involved in finding more molecular markers like PSA to help doctors diagnose cancer more rapidly and save more lives.
